As a note, free websites for advertising your own products or services should not be confused with some affiliate opportunities that offer free websites  to promote predetermined products and services with replicated websites.

Here are some of the features you should look  for when shopping around for  free website hosting

• Free domain names. (You will have to choose an existing name from a list of sub domains)
• Unlimited web pages (clarify what is meant by unlimited before signing up)
• Free web hosting. (Make sure that the company has been in business for awhile.  A lot of free hosting companies are here today and gone tomorrow)
• FTP access for uploading files.
• A WYSIWYG program to design your own website free.  (This is wishful thinking)
• At least 5mb file size limits. (This is important)
• Unlimited bandwidth (Clarify this before signing up)
• Secure hosting service.  ( Up at least 98% of the time or better)
• Interactive features (chat rooms, message boards, games, online ordering.  Some companies offer this as a paid add on)
• Free email account(s)
• Online support and help desk (shy away from companies that don’t offer support)

You may not find all of the above features on any one free website host, but you should be able to find most of them.  Some free hosting companies will supply a lot of these features and charge for others, such as chat rooms, message boards, etc.  Some will give you everything free and then start charging later.  Be ready to pay or bail.

Unfortunately, build free website comes with restrictions and limitations.   Spam is not tolerated with any web hosting company, free or paid, and when it is free, any “sniff” of spam can cause immediate cancellation without explanation.  Although, the companies will advertise unlimited bandwidth, if you plan to offer movies, large mp3 files, or some other large files, you may have to limit your downloads, in order not to exceed the actual bandwidth limitation.   Because free website services generate their income from advertising on the free websites they offer, you will not be able to redirect your website for any reason and any attempt to do so will probably result in termination without notice.

Even with the restrictions and some of the annoying limitations, it is possible to get your product or service on the internet at no initial cost to you.  However, if you intend to stick around for awhile and brand your identity on the internet, you may want to get your own domain name and investigate some of the paid services which start as low as three dollars a month.

In the meantime, if you’re dead serious about doing it all for free, I found some really cool free web building tools, a ton of information, and links to other free websites over at http://buildfree.org.  If you find anything useful, come back and let me know.

Your website should appeal to the visitor in a way that makes them want to stop, look, and listen to what you have to say, and then to purchase you product or service.  If your website makes the visitor feel like his or her life would be easier, better, more productive, more profitable and happier, if they utilize your service or buy what your product, then your website has fulfilled its purpose.

Whether you design your own website or have it designed professionally, your goal is to have a web design with a professional look that brands your company image and captures the attention of website visitors.  Your website should should convey your marketing message and reflect quality in your products or services.  Your website should have comprehensive marketing content, so that the visitor sees the value in your product or service and therefore is encouraged to either buy immediately or seek more information.

Internet surfers must be able to locate your website when they do a Google search to find providers of products and services in your category.  Therefore, when creating your website, search engine optimization is an important element which must be considered.  With good search engine optimization, your website could appear on the first page of a search engine query, when a potential visitor searches for your product or services,
and first page appearance can mean lots of sales.  Optimizing a website primarily involves editing its content and HTML and associated coding to both increase its relevance to specific keywords and to remove barriers to the indexing activities of search engines.

The decision whether to hire a professional web designer or to build the site yourself depends on what skills you have, how much time you can spare, and whether or not you want to do the work yourself.  Should you decide to design your website yourself, some basic knowledge of HTML and Search Engine Optimization is useful but not necessary, because there are point-and-click software programs available that can design, build, and optimize your website for you.

When searching for a web design software program, you should look for one that provides step by step instructions and useful tips, as well as online support in case you run into snags, or just need questions answered.  Also, because you will want to change the content of your website from time to time, make sure that your professional web designer or your point-and-click web design software gives you the flexibility to make changes quickly.

Through the entire web design experience, just keep in mind that your objective is to build a website that is able to rank high in the search engines and turn web visitors into customers.

If you would like to get in depth look at website design, Warren Baker of Web Designers 123 has written a wonderful series of articles on just about every aspect of website design.   Check out what he has to say at:
http://articles.webdesigners123.com/